Ch. 11 Key Terms Flashcards
Surface Water
Fresh water on Earth’s surface.
River System
As streams and rivers move across the land, they form a flowing network of water called a.
Watershed
The area of land that is drained by a river.
Groundwater
Water that is found beneath Earth’s surface in the spaces in sediment and rock formations.
Aquifer
An underground formation that contains groundwater.
Porosity
The percentage of the total volume of a rock that has spaces.
Permeability
The ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it.
Recharge Zone
An area of Earth’s surface from which water percolates down into an aquifer.
Potable
Water that is safe to drink.
Pathogen
Organisms that cause illness or disease.
Dam
Built across rivers to control the river’s flow.
Reservoir
An artificial lake formed behind a dam.
Desalination
The process of removing salt from saltwater.
Water Pollution
The introduction of chemical, physical, or biological agents into water that degrades water quality and harms organisms that depend on the water.
Point- Source Pollution
Pollution is discharged from a single source.
Nonpoint- Source Pollution
Comes from many different sources that are often difficult to identify.
Wastewater
Water that contains waste from homes or industries.
Artificial Eutrophication
Eutrophication is accelerated when inorganic plant nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen enter the water from sewage and fertilizer runoff.
Thermal Pollution
When the thermal temperature of a body of water such as a lake or stream increases.
Biomagnification
The accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain.
